Tom Hooper Talks Whether He’d Be Willing to Direct a Comic Book Movie or a James Bond Film; Says He’s Always Had “an Epic Filmmaker” Hidden Within Him

Director Tom Hooper was riding high following the success of his 2010 film The King’s Speech, which walked away with a number of Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture. All eyes were on what the filmmaker would choose as his follow-up project, and he raised a few eyeballs by settling on an ambitious adaptation of the musical Les Miserables. Not only was Hooper mounting a film iteration of one of the most beloved musicals of all time, but he committed to recording all of the actors’ singing live on set; the filmmaker essentially made the opposite of an “easy choice” for his post-King’s Speech film.

Les Miserables recently screened to a passionately positive response, and Steve got the chance to interview Hooper at the film’s New York press junket. During the course of the conversation, Steve asked if Hooper would be willing to direct a James Bond movie and the possibility of him directing a comic book movie. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

As comic book films are enjoying an immense amount of popularity at the moment, Steve asked Hooper if he would ever consider directing a comic book adaptation:

“I suppose I’ve always felt like I’ve had a kind of epic filmmaker hidden within me trying to get out, and John Adams was my first opportunity to sort of paint a world on a much bigger canvas which I felt very grateful for. But in the end there is something in a comic book drama that you get to build a world from the ground up and follow a vision through physically, which I think is exciting. I don’t know, we’ll have to see.”

Moreover, seeing as another Oscar-winning director recently tried his hand at the James Bond franchise to overwhelmingly successful results (SamMendes‘Skyfall has grossed over $800 million worldwide), Steve asked Hooper if he’d at least consider directing a Bond film:

“Oh I’d certainly be willing to talk about it. The 10-year-old in me would think there’s probably no higher honor than talking about that… I think [Bond producers] Barbara Broccoli and Michael [G. Wilson] are making some really interesting choices about who they use at the moment, so I think they’ve reinvigorated that franchise in a brilliant way.”